Japan: The Political Origins of Smear Campaign

Investigative journalist exposes the hidden political agenda behind decades long smear campaign against the Family Federation and how the media created a villain

Part 3 of a speech given by Japanese investigative journalist and prize-winning author Masumi Fukuda (福田ますみ) at a press conference on the theme “Japan: The Hidden Story Behind the Eradication of a Religion”, held at the Brussels Press Club in Brussels, Belgium on 29^th June 2026, organized by Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), an independent non-profit NGO. Translated from the transcription of the original Japanese, slightly edited.

Continued from part 1: The Hidden Story Japan Doesn’t Want You to Hear

Continued from part 2: Japanese Court Assumes the Role of Inquisitor

Continued in part 4: This Is About More Than One Religion

In the 1980s, companies operated by members of the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] imported products from South Korea – including multi-level pagodas and large stone urns – and sold them at prices far above their market value. These sales practices became the subject of widespread public criticism. They came to be known as “spiritual sales” (霊感商法 – reikan shōhō).

See also Using Abe’s Assassination Against Unificationism

See also Media Turning Public Opinion Against a Minority

See also BBC, Bias, and the Weaponization of Language

A group calling itself the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales was established, claiming that its purpose was to help “victims” of these practices. This organization, commonly known as the National Network of Lawyers (全国弁連 – Zenkoku Benren), consisted of more than 300 lawyers, many of whom were politically left-leaning, including members of the far left.

Founded in May 1987, the network worked closely with the media to portray “spiritual sales” as a massive fraudulent enterprise. Their campaign was so successful that the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] itself came to be seen as the villain.

However, the companies importing and selling these products were not operated by the church [See editor’s note below] itself. They were businesses run by individual church members.

Moreover, both the number of alleged “victims” and the amount of financial “damage” were, in my opinion, greatly exaggerated by the National Network of Lawyers. Not a single one of these cases ever resulted in criminal fraud charges. In fact, I interviewed several believers who had purchased these products and who told me they had experienced what they regarded as genuine miracles afterward.

The media adopted a policy of completely ignoring such testimonies. As a result, the public was presented with a highly distorted picture of what had actually happened.

Meanwhile, the companies involved stopped importing and selling stone urns, pagodas, and similar products in March 1987. From that point onward, the number of complaints steadily declined.

By the time former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三) was assassinated, the type of sales activity referred to as “spiritual sales” had virtually disappeared.

Nevertheless, investigations continue to be conducted as though the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] were still engaged in such practices.

However, I believe the true purpose behind the creation of the National Network of Lawyers lay elsewhere. Its real objective was to block the enactment of Japan’s proposed Anti-Espionage Law (スパイ防止法).

In 1987, organizations affiliated with the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] were conducting a nationwide campaign supporting the passage of anti-espionage legislation. The Japanese Communist Party, left-wing media organizations, labor unions, and teachers’ unions strongly opposed the proposal.

Because many members of the National Network of Lawyers were themselves affiliated with the Communist movement, they likewise opposed the Anti-Espionage Law.

One of the network’s leading figures at the time, attorney Hiroshi Yamaguchi (山口博), stated quite openly that the real issue was not simply “spiritual sales”. He argued that the movement surrounding the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] was closely tied to conservative political activities, and that those activities needed to be stopped.

In other words, from its very beginning, the campaign against the Unification Church [See editor’s note below] was not solely about consumer protection. It was also deeply connected with political conflict in Japan.

For many years, however, the campaign made only limited progress.

Continued in part 4: This Is About More Than One Religion

See also part 1: The Hidden Story Japan Doesn’t Want You to Hear

See also part 2: Japanese Court Assumes the Role of Inquisitor

See also Using Abe’s Assassination Against Unificationism

See also Media Turning Public Opinion Against a Minority

See also BBC, Bias, and the Weaponization of Language

Featured image above: Masumi Fukuda speaking at the press conference in Brussels on 29^th June 2026. Screenshot from live transmission by HRWF

[Editor’s note: Although Masumi Fukuda uses the name “Unification Church” and also the word “church”, please be aware that the Unification Church in Japan in 2015 changed its name to Family Federation for World peace and Unification.]

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